Pontius named to Olsen’s MLS All-Star game roster

D.C. United announced today that midfielders Dwayne De Rosario and Chris Pontius were named to the MLS All-Star game roster. The two will join the team, coached by D.C, United Head Coach Ben Olsen, to take on UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea FC on July 25 at PPL Park in Chester, PA (live on ESPN2).

Olsen, who had final oversight on the gameday roster, selected all eleven players chosen through the fan vote and built a dynamic, balanced roster loaded with the League’s top talent.

De Rosario is the lone United player to play in and start all of the Black-and-Red’s 18 games this season with an impressive 1566 minutes played. He currently leads all of Major League Soccer in assists with ten, while finding the back of the net five times. After an impressive month of May, where he won Player of the Week (5/14-5/21) and Player of the Month, De Rosario is just two goals away from reaching 100 career MLS goals.

This selection marks the seventh time De Rosario has been named to an MLS All-Star squad, improving upon an already impressive list of accomplishments that solidifies his place as one of the most decorated players in MLS history. Along with seven MLS All-Star selections, De Rosario boasts four MLS Cups, two MLS Cup MVP awards, and an MLS MVP award.

2012 will mark Pontius’ first All-Star game appearance. Pontius is currently leading D.C. United in scoring with an impressive nine goals this year in just under 1,000 minutes of play. During April, Pontius was unanimously selected by the North American Soccer Reporters as Player of the Week, making him the only player to be a two-time unanimous selection. Pontius has kept up his form and currently has five game-winning goals to his name, helping lead D.C. United to an impressive 10-5-3 record through 18 games.